Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Human Nature Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 4, 2021

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman went from industry struggle to Oscar-nominated glory with 1999’s “Being John Malkovich.” His specialized brand of quirk and surrealism found an audience with the picture, which, against all odds, made money, turning Kaufman into a critical darling and the “it” man of the indie film world. His reputation took a hit with 2001’s “Human Nature,” which was pushed into production after “Being John Malkovich” proved to be profitable, finding producers eager to ride the Kaufman wave to another specialty cinema sensation, fueled by the writer’s obsession with oddity and the peculiarities of human behavior. “Human Nature” isn’t nearly as unusual as his previous work, and he finds a less disciplined collaborator in director Michel Gondry, who works ridiculously hard to transform his helming debut into a cinematic playground of tricks and fantasy, which doesn’t always mesh with Kaufman’s self-conscious probing of damaged people.

Lila (Patricia Arquette) was hit with drastic hormonal changes when she was a girl, living with excessive hair growth all over her body. Desperate to cover this reality, Lila matured into a woman filled with shame. She finds freedom in the forest, living with nature, becoming a best-selling author on the ways of the wild and resistance to humanity. However, loneliness becomes an issue, and Lila is soon paired with Dr. Nathan (Tim Robbins), a scientist specializing in teaching table manners to mice, looking to create a more refined world. While the pair embark on a relationship, forcing Lila to return to her hair management panic, they manage to discover Puff (Rhys Ifans), a feral man who was raised in the woods by an insane person. Bringing Puff back his lab, Dr. Nathan hopes to destroy the primate within, teaching his subject culture and self-control, though his own urges are stimulated by his assistant, Gabrielle (Miranda Otto), who’s looking to claim the doctor as a lover.

Kaufman explores “Human Nature” in flashbacks, introducing Puff at a congressional hearing, Lila at a police station, and Dr. Nathan in the afterlife. The three characters are transformed in different ways, and the story heads backwards to establish their initial situations and levels of woe. Of course, this creative approach robs the movie of suspense, but Kaufman doesn’t seem to care, more invested in the shaping of neuroses, with Lila his primary concern. Born with a hair growth problem she can’t escape, the character battles with insecurity, forced to shave her body and suffer through painful electrolysis to keep up appearances. She’s most at home in the wild, with Gondry creating a musical number to detail this blissful feeling, offering the first of many odd tonal choices to come.

“Human Nature” means to manage these three characters, with Lila searching for love, forced to hide her true self to achieve it. Dr. Nathan was raised by strict, mentally ill parents, and their lessons of control and etiquette have transformed him into a man driven to perfect good manners, with Puff a perfect case of feral behavior in need of training. Kaufman creates workable connections between the players, but his sense of humor is lacking this time around, with most of the jokes focusing on Puff’s inability to control his sexual urges, sniffing and humping every female he comes into contact with. Laughs are scattered in “Human Nature,” finding Gondry skipping needs of timing and performance to deal with his own wonderland of directorial tricks, working to bring an unreality to the picture that already has enough idiosyncrasy for five movies. Gondry’s attention to detail is impressive, and he would go on to refine his mischief in stronger endeavors. However, he’s trying too hard to slap his fingerprint on the production, ending up competing with Kaufman in the weirdness games while the story gradually dissolves into something more random.

Human Nature Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Human Nature" offers acceptable detail, preserving animalistic textures on Lila and Puff, exploring fine body hair and elements of filth. Living spaces and scientific labs enjoy varied decoration that's open for inspection, and the feature's cinematic process is easily studied. Colors enjoy deep greenery for nature visits and heavier primaries with room lighting and costuming. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition.

Human Nature Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers an immersive understanding of atmospherics, with wildlife experiences creating a circular sense of forest activity and movement. Dialogue exchanges are crisply defined, with subtle emotionality and heavier primal declarations. Scoring supports comfortably, with sharp instrumentation. Low-end isn't active, but certain bass rumbles and atmospheric changes are appreciable.

Human Nature Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "This is Hubris" (11:41, HD) is a video conference interview with director Michel Gondry, who jumps all over the place when discussing "Human Nature," at first attempting to explain how he connected to writer Charlie Kaufman, meeting him through Spike Jonze and Bjork. For "Human Nature," Gondry attempted to find his own reality to work with, focusing on the use of rear-projection imagery to generate an alien vision for the picture. Mistakes are detailed, with Gondry's tight control of the filmmaking process relaxed for his next Kaufman endeavor, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

• "Paradise Lost" (12:21, HD) is a video conference interview with production designer K.K. Barrett, who explores his professional relationship with director Michel Gondry, meeting a man who had every shot of "Human Nature" planned out on storyboards before cameras rolled. Barrett details the shoot inside an old Howard Hughes warehouse, helping Gondry realize his defined vision for the picture. Technical achievements are highlighted, with Barrett trying to bring the illusions and delusions of the material to life, and exteriors are noted, with time spent in a poison ivy-covered forest.

• "Words are Evil" (10:13, HD) is an audio-only interview with composer Graeme Revell, who showed great interest in the material, talking the production out of using Jerry Goldsmith to get the job. Revell offers reverence to composers Raymond Scott and Bernard Herrmann, and details how ideas from his previous work on "Bride of Chucky" ended up in "Human Nature." The interviewee also examines motifs, sounds, and instruments used in the film.

• Original EPK (5:59, SD) presents a 2001 package of clips and interviews used to promote the theatrical release of "Human Nature."

• EPK Interviews (27:41, SD) offer time with cinematographer Tim Maurice-Jones, costume designer Nancy Steiner, director Michel Gondry, producers Ted Hope and Anthony Bregman, and actors Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Miranda Otto, Rhys Ifans, and Robert Forster (listed here as "John Forster"). There's an expected used car salesman vibe to the conversations (captured on-set), but fans of "Human Nature" might enjoy hearing about character, themes, and technical achievements from production participants.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:16, HD) is included.

Human Nature Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Human Nature" has an initial drive to explore universal ideas on self-worth and fallibility, but Gondry often gets in the way of that, driven to support Kaufman's mischief, leaving his big ideas to crumble as the movie tries to find a way out of this strange world of hairy and resentful people. It's amusing at times, but never truly funny. It's also a pretty picture with art-school interests, but "Human Nature" isn't nearly as profound as it could be.